After a shootout breaks out at a jazz club in the heart of town over a 'transaction' gone wrong, the Shrimps of Ocean Street and the Deadbeats of Industrial Way prepare to fight. No. None of the characters are based on the real individuals involved, Gaudet told Coupons in the News. In Queenpins, its Ken Miller who pleads with the FBI to get involved, but in the end, he ends up working with Vince Vaughns postal inspector character, with the reasoning being that the crime was technically committed via snail mail. Autumn has a Master of Arts in English from Northern Michigan University, where she also taught superhero-themed composition courses. 'They're buying bunches, and they're redeeming them in bunches.'. A pair of housewives create a $40 million coupon scam.A pair of housewives create a $40 million coupon scam.A pair of housewives create a $40 million coupon scam. But I I sort of didnt approach it from an occupational standpoint, Houser told TheWrap. Many of the details of the real story have been changed, including the names, but also backstories to make the characters more sympathetic. [8], In June 2021, Showtime and Paramount+ acquired U.S. pay TV and streaming rights to the film for about $20 million. Authorities later estimated that the coupon ring cost corporations hundreds of millions of dollars in profit. Some movies are based on true stories, some movies are inspired by true stories. They joined forces with several other affected companies and hired private investigators to track the source of the fraudulent coupons. Annie MumoloasCrystal - Mumolo appears in the minor role of Crystal. In addition to the $40 million in counterfeit coupons that they confiscated, police seized $2 million in assets from the three women, including four homes, 22 guns, a 40-foot speed boat, and 21 vehicles. Ken is the kind of guy who desperately wants to present himself as a stoic, but when alone, screams in rage. They were just two normal women, who felt taken advantage of by major corporations, and genuinely wanted to help other women and families who were struggling. Why the USPS? Required fields are marked *. , updated Queenpins Cast And Character Guide: Where You Know The Actors From, Worth Cast & Character Guide: What The Real People Look Like, Free Guy Cast, Characters & All Cameos Guide, Q-Force Cast & Character Guide: Where You Know The Actors From. On the case to bust them: a supermarket's. Queenpinsdebuted in theaters on September 10, 2021. And after reading the script and falling massively in love with it, because it was such a grounded comedy, I did some research about these women. When Connie discovers that a complaint letter about stale cereal earned her a coupon for a free box, it's a short road to finding a $2 an hour employee at the Mexico coupon printing plant (moved from the US to save money) who is willing to send them extras. These companies included Hershey, Procter & Gamble, and the Coupon Information Corporation. This is based on the true story of three women: Robin Ramirez, Marilyn Johnson, and Amiko "Amy" Fountain. Credit: Courtesy STX Films "They're also some of the best writers I've ever worked with. People who purchased coupons on the site could use them for an item and even get cash back if the value of the coupon exceeded the item's price. You know what, I bet if a better actor were playing Ken Miller, thered probably be a little fine tooth combing involved with the world of loss prevention. David Lake, who led the Phoenix Police Departments investigation, told KPHO at the time. 17:23 EST 23 Jul 2021 It might have been more interesting to have lead police officer on the case a woman, as it was in the actual arrest. Meanwhile, Ken is partnered with U.S. postal inspector Simon Kilmurry. Ramirez pleaded guilty to counterfeiting, fraud, and illegal control of an enterprise. I just decided I really wanted to play the curmudgeon nature of the character. No, not at all, Bell told TheWrap. The trail led to the Arizona coupon ring located in Phoenix. It stars Kristen Bell, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Paul Walter Hauser, Bebe Rexha, and Vince Vaughn. "We knew, based on our research on past films, the more we dig into the real lives, it becomes much more serious, much more dramatic," Pullapilly told the, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. They interview people from grocery stores that the ladies frequent, almost all of whom recognize Connie due to her constantly irritating coupon usage, even successfully linking her to the "Savvy Super Saver" website as she uses its slogan while shopping. I was very excited when I saw on the front page of the script that was based on a true story. Judge Rosa Mroz of Maricopa County Superior Court ordered all three to payProcter & Gamble $1,288,682 in reimbursement. The other two women pleaded guilty to a single charge of counterfeiting. While the characters in the 2021 movieQueenpins call out systemic inequality and the downfalls of capitalism, it's unlikely that their real-life counterparts shared these same sentiments. Ken: Yeah no, even if I wanted to switch, I think it's more important that your daughter learn a valuable lesson. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. On the case to bust them: a supermarkets loss-prevention officer and a US postal inspector, played by Paul Walter HauserandVince Vaughn, respectively. When we use coupons, we feel like we're getting away with something, like we're smart and special. Kiara frowned, watching the usually stoic Ame toss and turn in the driver's seat. This is much more inspired So we dont really know anything about the real players and we kind of didnt want to. Here's the cast and character guide and the real-life counterparts. This includes forums and any public viewing areas or websites.". Kristen Bell as Connie Kaminski Kristen Bell stars as Connie Kaminski, a suburban housewife who just wants to find a solution for the debt burying her and her husband. He also focused more on the character aspect of his part, rather than talking to anyone actually involved in loss prevention. They also turned to the Coupon Information Corporation. He has been commended by the FBI for supporting them in numerous efforts to fight "complex coupon fraud schemes." Couponing goes criminal in the new trailer for Queenpins. The coupons were sold on a site called Savvy Shopper Site, to which interested parties had to be referred or invited directly to use. According to Coupons in the News, Ramierz started selling counterfeit coupons as early as 2007, and was eventually joined by the other two women. The Coupon Queens cheated as many as 40 major manufacturers (Business Insider). Thats why they say Robin Hood, thats why they say the fat cats on Wall Street deserve it, thats why they say these corporations are evil. Not because they believe any of that, but so they dont feel guilty about their own actions. His message to coupon wrongdoers is, yes, you got a good deal. But nobody really thought it was a big deal, because, you know, its coupons.. director of photography Film Editing by Kayla Emter . Of course, the trailer also shows them later living in luxury and boarding private jets. They enjoy their newfound wealth, only to have their criminal enterprise crumble when they are investigated, raided, and arrested. Vaughn is also currently appearing in the series Curb Your Enthusiasm. Queenpins is playing in theaters with plans to stream on Paramount+ in the near future. However, they quickly learned that with a little crime, they could actually make money off of it. As the Time article notes, couponing became popular not only in the wake of reality television shows like TLCs Extreme Couponing but also due to the economic reality in the wake of the Great Recession. Queenpins: Dirigido por Aron Gaudet, Gita Pullapilly. Bell has extensive experience in Broadway, television, and film, leading successful TV series like Veronica Mars and The Good Place. While JoJo is released on bail, Rick visits Connie only so he can admonish her, having been informed by Simon that she and JoJo have defrauded over 240 companies of tens of millions of dollars. That would be too prestigious for Hauser's wannabe-cop Miller (Hauser borrows from his 2019 performance in Richard Jewell). Queenpins Writers Balance Comedic Tone with Real-Life Drama in Coupon Caper By: Shanee Edwards Kirby Howell-Baptiste as JoJo Johnson and Kristen Bell as Connie Kaminski in QUEENPINS. Vince Vaughnas Simon Kilmurry -Vince Vaughn plays Simon Kilmurry, a U.S. postal inspector who works with Ken to investigate the coupon scam. He also explained the counterfeit coupon case to Gaudet and Pullapilly, who sought him out after their curiosity was piqued when they first read about the crime. Paul Walter Hauser's character, Ken Miller, seems to be a very loosely-inspired caricature of Bud Miller, the Executive Director of the Coupon Information Corporation (CIC). Fountain and Johnson were both sentenced to three years probation after pleading guilty to a single count of counterfeiting. In February of 2013,Ramirez pleaded guilty to counterfeiting, fraud, and illegal control of an enterprise, though a forgery charge was dropped. "I'm saving money!" We're all looking for a loophole to find our joy and happiness in life." Tempe Tina does not have a real-life counterpart. The three women, Robin Ramirez, Amiko Fountain, and Marilyn Johnson, mostly sold free-product coupons. 'These aren't 50 cent off coupons. According to KTAR News, a Phoenix radio station, the group focused on manufacturers coupons, which typically offer a free item or significant discount. Bud Miller is thought to have loosely inspired Paul Walter Hauser's character in the movie, Ken Miller. We just wanted to create our own characters.. She was most likely added to the script for comedic reasons in order to frame Connie and JoJo as being in over their heads and desperately needing outside help. And I think it comes from loneliness and feeling isolated and kind of under-utilized or under-appreciated. "I am not spending money!" Indeed, the movie is inspired by a true story, but just how closely does the film follow the events and people its based on? The bare-bones blueprint for the story is accurate; a small group of women make millions selling counterfeit coupons. The amount covered all of P&G's losses, for the fake coupons as well as extra manpower needed to deal with the issue. I try to work with police chiefs, at the state and local level, to come up with ways of explaining how important protecting our business infrastructure is, he said. Though most of their fraudulent earnings have been confiscated, the pair have hundreds of thousands of dollars from their illegal activities stashed away, and JoJo starts a relationship with Earl and relocates to Montenegro, a non-extradition country, where the pair can immediately restart the scam upon Connie's release. The opening scenes show Bell's character getting arrested before a flashback to explain what happened. Ramirez, then 40, Fountain, then 42, and Johnson, then 54, were arrested andcharged with counterfeiting, forgery, money laundering, operating an illegal enterprise, and other crimes. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. The real Queenpins' mugshots are displayed below. McHaleis perhaps best known for his role inCommunity, and will next be starring in the series Black Box. Vince Vaughn's other moviesincludemany big-budget action films and comedies such as The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, and Wedding Crashers. The postal inspector tells Connie it's 1 year for every $100,000 earned fraudulently and that she's looking at 40 years. Ramirez, Fountain and Johnson are now having to live with what they did. But all were ordered to pay nearly $1.3 million in restitution to Procter & Gamble, just one of the many manufacturers whose coupons they counterfeited and sold. The real-life Queenpins thought that the similar name would make their scheme appear more legitimate. It's unclear if their real-life counterparts,Ramirez, Fountain, and Johnson, had such charitable aspirations when they started their illicitenterprise. Howell-Baptiste previously worked with Bell on Veronica Mars and The Good Place. After tracing the origins of the ring to Phoenix, the FBI then teamed up with local law enforcement to bust the group. Analysts Predict More Deals in the Grocery Store This Year, Savings Apps Are All the Rage This One Most of All, Grocery Shoppers Shrug Off A Tumultuous Year, Couponer Is Dealt A Final Setback In Decade-Old Dispute. She also was ordered to pay restitution of up to $5 million. Directed and written by Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly, the movie stars Kristen Bell, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Vince Vaughn, Paul Walter Hauser, and Bebe Rexha. You could only place an order if you had a referral from a current customer, and you had to pay for your order with a Green Dot Moneypak (prepaid debit card). Except that these ladies sold unauthorized or forged coupons for a fraction of the face value to consumers who used them to get lots and lots of stuff without paying for it. Much the same can be said for Paul Walter Houser, who plays Ken Miller, the loss prevention officer that uncovers and eventually busts Connie and Jojos scam. The film's largely painful humor is informed by the mistaken belief that the main characters' criminal enterprise is inherently quirky. But court records indicate that she has not quite been able to put this case behind her. Yes. -TIME. Here's the cast and character guide for Queenpins, along with comparisons to some of the characters' counterparts in real life. Ben Stiller serves as an executive producer under his Red Hour Productions banner. David Lake, who led the Phoenix Police Departments investigation, told KPHOat the time. No, not at all, Bell told TheWrap. But Aron [Gaudet]and Gita [Pullapilly], as storytellers our writer and directors have added so many specific elements of storytelling to this about what Connies career was, what Jojos career was, their circumstances in life in order to create a story that you would root for, and then it sort of goes into the nonfiction aspect that it sort of wasnt maybe as necessary to take on a ton of the real life characteristics of the women.. Queenpins' true story is based on the couponing scam designed by three Arizona women: Robin Ramirez, Marilyn Johnson, and Amiko "Amy" Fountain. The movie, which premieres September 10, offers a comical take on the true story ofRobin Ramirez, Amiko Fountain, and Marilyn Johnson of Phoenix, Arizona, who were arrested in 2012 for their years-long counterfeitingracket and ordered to pay P&G millions in restitution. Indeed, the movie is inspired by a true story, but just how closely does the film follow the events and people its based on? On a message board, one fan raved about paying $7 for a mega pack of Pampers, with no max value meaning a shopper could get more than $50 worth of product free. So even though the events of nearly a decade ago seem like old news to the rest of us, its something the culprits continue to live with. In the wake of the bust, all three women pleaded guilty. Connie, JoJo, Simon (Vince Vaughn) and Ken (Paul Walter Hauser) arewhat Aron and I feelwhat we're all often feeling in this life: undervalued and discounted. We dont want people to think its funny. The crime comedy is based on a counterfeit coupon empire that shocked law enforcement. Kristen Bell stars as Connie Kaminski, a suburban housewife who just wants to find a solution for the debtburying her and her husband. In real life, the FBI did get involved, along with the non-profit Coupon Information Center. And it seems like the makers of the movie share this sentiment. That's the psychological illogic of coupons, referred to in the movie as the "coupon high." Together, they set up a website called Savvy Super Saver, and eventually make millions of dollars in turn, costing multiple manufacturers millions of dollars. The story actually began more than a decade ago, when the women started selling their coupons online. Ramirez, the ringleader, was the only one sentenced to prison time two years while her counterparts got probation. In May 2019, it was announced Kristen Bell and Leslie Jones had joined the cast of the film, with Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly directing from a screenplay they wrote. And the women wont be getting any windfall from Queenpins. But I I sort of didnt approach it from an occupational standpoint, Houser told TheWrap. In real life, the FBI did get involved, along with the non-profit Coupon Information Center. They included coupons for anything from Hershey bars to dog food to diapers. She portrays a fictional computer hacker named Tempe Tina, who helps the two main characters with their coupon scam. Queenpins' cast of characters also includes familiar faces like Bebe Rexha, Vince Vaughn, and Joel McHale in supporting roles. I went to the detectives and I said, we have what appears to be a large multimillion-dollar, maybe hundreds of millions of dollars, theft affecting over 240 victims, the now-retired Lake told Coupons in the News. After he retired from the force, he took what he had learned from this case and others like it to found the Center on Shadow Economics, which works to mitigate the economic impact of black market crimes like counterfeit couponing. Counterfeit Coupon Ringleader Pleads Guilty - Coupons in the News, Woman spends $600 on SavvyShopperSite.com fake coupons - Jill Cataldo. But thats just Connie and Jojo. In this film we have one of the world's most adorable people, Kristen Bell, with her delightful "The Good Place" co-star Kirby Howell-Baptiste as the two women who almost make a multi-million dollar crime seem cute.
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